Because it might lack some features or be unpopular etc. Nintendulator was once very accurate but it was Windows-only and not many people used it. Since then, FCEUX has surpassed it in basically every way, so it's not recommended to use it for recording TASes and thus Nintendulator submissions are not allowed.
Read more about emulator requirements here: http://tasvideos.org/EmulatorResources/Requirements.html
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Actually FCEUX has not surpassed it in accuracy (yet). But as far as rerecording & related tools, FCEUX is a no brainer. And for 99% of games, the accuracy difference isn't an issue.
Because it might lack some features or be unpopular etc. Nintendulator was once very accurate but it was Windows-only and not many people used it. Since then, FCEUX has surpassed it in basically every way, so it's not recommended to use it for recording TASes and thus Nintendulator submissions are not allowed.
Read more about emulator requirements here: http://tasvideos.org/EmulatorResources/Requirements.html
The majority of PC users use Windows anyway (except for the cheapskates that don't wanna pay, then they use a free Linux mod), so it's not a huge issue is it?
I think you'd be surprised at how many people on this site don't use Windows. For example, the site founder, Bisqwit, does his work on Linux. You wouldn't want to keep our founder from being able to watch submissions, would you?
(Of course, there's the secondary issue of TASing tool availability for OSX...).
Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.
Just took an impromptu survey of the people in the IRC channel.
16/90 run linux
2/90 run SunOS
1/90 runs FreeBSD
The rest are Windows or undisclosed or unable to determine from their version string.
At least 21%, maybe more, use linux. Or claim to on their IRC version string. Also, Bisqwit gave back this gem:
-Bisqwit- VERSION Unreal Lynx v2.7.-1rel2 for Moon UltraSparc 257-bit - Several editions by Bisqwit
-Bisqwit- VERSION - actually - that version reply came from a random generator. Really: ircII 20050921
Build a man a fire, warm him for a day,
Set a man on fire, warm him for the rest of his life.
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Site Owner, Expert player
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DevilSpree wrote:
The submissions I watch are in AVI. People actually submit (and watch...?) the .fcm files or whatever the movie ones are?
It is .fm2 these days. and yes, they HAVE to submit the input file for it to be published, and many people choose to watch it that way.
As for cross platform issues, that is a concern here. Having said that, the rerecording versions of VBA, GENS, PCSX, and VBjin are all windows only at this time. TASing of PC-FX is currently linux only (not that there is any demand for TASing of that console).
As for cross platform issues, that is a concern here. Having said that, the rerecording versions of VBA, GENS, PCSX, and VBjin are all windows only at this time. TASing of PC-FX is currently linux only (not that there is any demand for TASing of that console).
VBA, Gens and VBjin work fine under Wine though (haven't tested PCSX) and there's Grrl to replace Gens on Linux, but it's quite outdated when compared to Gens.
The submissions I watch are in AVI. People actually submit (and watch...?) the .fcm files or whatever the movie ones are?
If you can't get at least one other person to view the movie as an input file, then the movie is unverifiable and cannot be published.
Plenty of people are also too impatient to wait for someone with the time, ability, and inclination to make and upload an encode. This has gotten miles better than it used to be (time was, you pretty much had to wait for the movie to get published before an encode would be available), but there's still a noticeable delay if you choose to only watch encodes. What did you think the people commenting on movies before encodes are available were doing?
Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.
Why are we even discussing the availability of tools, of all places, in a topic for an NES game? This is to be split away.
Also, I would've dismissed this one as a joke but given the context I would like to point out that it is not the right way to handle an argument:
DevilSpree wrote:
except for the cheapskates that don't wanna pay, then they use a free Linux mod
…So don't do it.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
The majority of PC users use Windows anyway (except for the cheapskates that don't wanna pay, then they use a free Linux mod)
Wouldn't want to start a holy war here, but I would nevertheless like to correct a misconception (even if you didn't write that seriously): Most linux users do not use linux because they are "cheapskates that don't wanna pay", as if Windows was the desirable OS and linux was some kind of backup OS which you have to resort to if you don't have the money to buy Windows (and are too honest to use an illegal pirated version). In fact, I'm pretty sure that a quite significant portion of linux users (especially here, since most people here are gamers) have both linux and windows (some/most of them legally purchased) on their PC, but they choose to use mainly linux and use windows only when they have to (eg. to play games). I have both systems (and completely legally purchased at that), and I spend the vast majority of time in linux and use windows almost exclusively for playing games.
The real reasons for this are complex, and I really don't want to delve into that (because it's the source of holy wars). Suffice to say, though, that it's certainly not because they are "cheapskates that don't wanna pay".
And besides, don't forget Mac users. While the average Mac user probably doesn't fit the profile of a typical TASer (because they usually are neither computer nerds nor HC gamers; yeah, I'm not stereotyping here at all ;) ), there probably are a few here as well.
While the average Mac user probably doesn't fit the profile of a typical TASer (because they usually are neither computer nerds
Actually a good portion of them these days are "upgraded nerds" that use MacOS as a Unix-based system whilst also enjoying all the benefits of its nice application base and its laid-back non-DIY interface. Also, having various portable devices produced by Apple automatically gives you bonus creds among all those who care (you'd be surprised how many people fall for that). Finally, after all, Macbooks are excellent pieces of hardware, all things considered.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
The majority of PC users use Windows anyway (except for the cheapskates that don't wanna pay, then they use a free Linux mod), so it's not a huge issue is it?
The word is "distribution" and the vast majority of PCs come with a version of Windows pre-installed, few people upgrade that OS further than with service packs, and the few PCs that come with Linux pre-installed or no OS at all end up costing at least as much as an equivalent Windows PC (think of all the bloatware vendors, including Microsoft itself, who pay manufacturers to pre-install trial versions of their Windows-only products).
FWIW I have installed extra internal hard drives on my desktop and installed Ubuntu, FreeBSD, and OpenSolaris on them at times to fiddle around with, and when I got a netbook about a year ago with XP, I actually shrank the Windows partition and installed Ubuntu on the free space. I'd leave Windows behind entirely if I didn't love some of the Windows-only applications so much.
all the kewl kidz use or at least are familiar with linux
